A flush descends on my cheeks as I smile at him brilliantly.
“Thank you,” I murmur.“I’m totally fine.Oh, and you look very dashing yourself.”
The alpha male chuckles as he tucks my hand into the crook of the elbow, and then leads me up the carpet and towards the Fontaine Hotel.I smile, my head held high and my expression confident because after we made love while shopping two weeks ago, everything changed between me and Nick Bannister.I’m no longer the pregnant, bedraggled woman he’s caring for while we wait for his child to be born.I’m no longer an unwanted guest in his home, sequestered away in my quarters while he goes about his usual life in New York.Instead, I sleep in Nick’s bed every night now, and we have loads of hot, passionate sex.Yes, I’m the billionaire’s lover for real, and our connection is solid and steadfast.
But it’s not just the physical aspect.We connect on a mental level too, and Nick spends a lot of time with me.Yes, he wakes me up at sunrise for steamy morning sex, but then often stays for breakfast in bed as we chat about our upcoming days.There isn’t much to mine other than doctors’ appointments, light exercise, and then lunch followed by a dip in the pool, but the billionaire always listens with interest.Then, he’s out the door to work, and I have the rest of the morning and afternoon to myself before he returns in the evening for a delicious dinner and more filthy times in the sack.Our lovemaking can be raunchy and wrong, but it’s also passionate and intimate, and I suppose it’s the variety that makes it so satisfying.
So yes, I feel integrated into Nick Bannister’s life.The billionaire shares tidbits about his past, and I feel like I know him to my core, even if we’ve only been talking for the past two weeks.It’s as if I’ve always known this man, and our connection is free-flowing, lively, and incredibly interesting.But our silences are also comfortable, and in some ways, the silence is even more intimate than our rolls in the hay.
So I wasn’t surprised when he asked me to accompany him to a charity gala tonight.I smiled at him while lifting a brow.
“You mean we’re actually going to use one of the dresses you bought me from Khrisomo?”I ask in a teasing tone.“They’re not just here to be torn off or literally ripped in half?”
Nick growled deep in his chest, those blue eyes flaring.
“I’ll tear as many of them as I want,” he rasped.“You look best naked, with your legs spread and ready for me, baby girl.”
“Oh you!”I laughed, the blood rushing to my cheeks as my tummy tingled.“Always with one thing on your mind.”
My man merely growled again before reaching forward to tweak a big breast, making me moan.
“Always,” he rasped hungrily before seizing my mouth in a passionate kiss.“You’re the one for me, Ella.”
After sweet words like that, it’s no wonder that I feel like Prince Charming has swept into my life.My life has been turned upside down from a bedraggled maid struggling to make ends meet, to one of laughter, luxury, and most importantly, love.Plus, I don’t really care about charity balls, mani-pedis, nor fancy evening gowns.What I care about is this man and the life we’re building together.The love that permeates every interaction, and how safe and secure I feel in Nick’s arms.
With a light step, I lean against the huge man as he leads me into a glittering ballroom.
“Wow,” I murmur.“I had no idea that a non-profit called Daffodil Mamas could sponsor an event of this caliber.”
After all, there are daffodils everywhere, and I meaneverywhere, in the ballroom.They’re tucked into vases, strung into garlands, with there’s even a massive trellis on stage, with daffodils dangling from a chandelier overhead.It’s a little overwhelming, to say the least.
“I think the florist went a little overboard,” Nick says in a dry tone while leading me to the champagne.“I hope the champagne doesn’t taste of daffodils.”
“Well, you’ll have to taste it for me because you know I can’t drink,” I say with a saucy smile.Nick’s eyes immediately go to my bump, which is shown off in a beautiful white gown.The material’s draped over my shoulders and tummy so that I resemble a Grecian goddess, and there are even lilies strung into my hair, as well as gold and silver jewelry adorning my throat and wrists.
“You look amazing, Ella,” Nick growls.“And yes, you’re not drinking because of the baby, but I’ll get you some juice.Something tells me my son is thirsty.”
“Or your daughter,” I retort with a naughty smile.“You never know.”
Nick’s eyes merely flare again as he signals to a waiter, but before he can order the juice, a woman accosts him.
“Nick!”she sighs while throwing her arms around his neck dramatically.“I missed you!”
My brows pull down in a frown.Who is this?But Nick seems unfazed.He smiles fondly at the woman while disentangling himself, and then introduces us.
“Laila, it’s so good to see you,” he says in a smooth tone.“It’s been ages.Have you met Ella?”he asks.“Ella Moore, meet Laila Kazirhagi.”
Oh my god, upon closer inspection, the woman looks like a Persian princess from her sloe-eyes to her flawless golden skin.All she needs is a tiara and a royal scepter to complete the picture.I immediately feel frumpy and out of place in my white bedsheet of a gown, but the woman hardly even notices me.
“Oh Nicky, where have you been?”Laila breathes while taking his elbow in both her hands and staring deep into his eyes.“You said you’d take me on a cruise to the Mediterranean, remember?You promised!”she adds in a petulant voice.
My lover maintains the smile on his face.
“That was a while ago,” he says courteously.“And besides, I’ve got a lot going on right now.I’m going to be a father.Do you see how Ella’s pregnant?We’re going to be parents.”
With a grumpy snort, Laila turns to me once more before surveying my burgeoning belly with green eyes.
“Well,” she says with a harrumph.“I see.”
